Get the New Tech Previews for Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016

With Windows 10 out in the market, it is now time to focus our attention to the enterprise. In that regard, Microsoft released Technical Previews for Windows Server 2015 and System Center 2016. This is the third technical preview for these products.

Along with this release, Microsoft has called attention to the first public release of Windows Server Containers. With the popularity of DevOps and Docker, it is no surprise to see Windows Server Containers coming from Microsoft. As the Microsoft Server and Clout Platform team states, "This is the first step in bringing containers to the Windows Server ecosystem, and we’re excited about the possibilities." They go on to mention that the container functionality should help to simplify development and more specifically the deployment of applications.

Other elements are also coming in Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016. Nano Server is a small foot-print deployment of the server that can be hosted physically or in a virtual machine. New in this preview are a number of Software-defined Networking features. Updates to security are also in this release including enhancements to shielded VMs, a new Windows Server role (Host Guardian Service), and more. System Center will get support for rolling upgrades for cluster nodes. There will also be features to help manage the shielded VMs with ease.

Of course, the easiest way to check out the new features is to download and install the servers. You can get Window Server 2016 TP3 at:

About the Author

Bradley Jones

Bradley Jones can be referred to as a webmaster, coding grunt, developer, analyst, director, Editor-in-Chief, Microsoft MVP, and various other things. His focus is often in technology with a special interest in the area of the big "C"s -- C, C++, and C#; however, his experience includes development in PowerBuilder, Visual Basic, some Java, ASP, COBOL I/II, and various other technologies. He has authored more than 20 books including Windows Live Essentials and Services, Web 2.0 Heroes, Teach Yourself the C# Language in 21 Days, and an update of Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days. He is the founder and previous president of the Indianapolis .NET Developers Association which is a charter INETA group with membership of nearly 3000. Brad blogs at http://blog.codeguru.com/blog. You can often hear is ramblings on the CodeGuru.com or VBForums discussion forums.

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